Photo book: Horizon coming soon here.
From industrial wasteland to urban district: Offenbach harbour has undergone a true transformation since the beginning of the 21st century. Its district development has set new standards - with sustainable concepts as well as mixed uses and a high quality of life on the waterfront. A photo book by Stadtwerke Offenbach now shows how completely new horizons have been created at the port.
It all started with an industrial port that was no longer economically viable. Something had to be done with the site. This pressure for change in an industrial area, in a prime location directly on the Main, led to new opportunities and ideas - combined with the firm will to realize the visions. The city has been working on this since the 2000s together with the Stadtwerke subsidiary Mainviertel Offenbach GmbH & Co KG.
The artist duo Wiebke Grösch and Frank Metzger were responsible for the photo documentation from day one. From 2008, their light installation "Universum" defined the port area as a space full of possibilities. After a brief historical look at the industrial port, the chronology in the book begins this year: in 2008, the artist duo began photographically documenting the development on site. The photographs show construction phases and interim uses, they look at fresh greenery in front of old industrial facilities and the emergence of modern buildings for living and working. Anchor points such as the harbor garden and harbor staircase, playground and Blue Crane make the once closed-off industrial area accessible and tangible for everyone. Gradually, more and more urban life moved to the Main - without any mainstream.
Points of sale and price
The photo book "Horizont in Kürze hier. Vom Offenbacher Industriehafen zum Stadtquartier" with a project description by author Frank Hatami-Fardi is now available in a limited edition for €15 from the bookshop am Markt (Wilhelmsplatz), the Etagerie (Taunusstraße) and the Öldorado (Hospitalstraße).
To coincide with the new publication of the book, selected motifs from the book have been installed on the pedestrian bridge in the harbor, the Elisabeth-Selbert-Steg. The temporary installation in public space sets the scene for the development of the quarter and offers the opportunity to compare yesterday and today directly on site.
